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Articles: Guru Nanak Sakhis:
Living Honestly
Living Honestly
Truth is above everything.
Highest is truthful living.
(Guru) Nanak Dev was a successful shopkeeper in his village,
Talwandi. Because of his honesty and integrity, he was appointed
manager of the government stores at Sultanpur Lodhi, in Punjab, on the
banks of the river Bayeen. This was a job of great responsibility
as large stores and stocks were involved in government dealings.
One could easily misappropriate lots of money or stores. Junior officials
were usually not very sincere. On the contrary, they were quite often dishonest.
All residents of the town were satisfied with the good
dealings of (Guru) Nanak Dev. The employees, however, did not like
any strict control over them. They were always on the lookout for
an excuse to complain against him. (Guru) Nanak often gave a lot
of money and food to the needy people. Whenever any person needed
support, (Guru) Nanak was always ready to help him. The corrupt employees
did not like the honest conduct of Nanak. Tired of him, they alleged
that Nanak was giving away government stocks to make a good name for himself.
The people knew about the greatness of Nanak and, therefore, refused to
believe these rumors.
Finally, the employees lodged a complaint with the Nawab
that (Guru) Nanak Dev was misappropriating stores and stocks. Continued
complaints regarding mishandling of the stores forced the Nawab to check
the accounts, and stores. To the great embarrassment of the Nawab,
everything was in order. There was no shortage at all, as doubted
by the authorities. Most employees, who themselves were corrupt and
had complained to defame (Guru) Nanak, felt very ashamed.
Even after this incident, the employees did not mend their
ways. They kept spreading rumors against the "Guru." They became
even more jealous because of his rising popularity. Therefore, after
some time, they again raised the same issue and started telling people
that (Guru) Nanak was not keeping the accounts properly. The second
inspection of stores proved once more that all complaints by the employees
were false and malicious. The evil intentions of the employees became
known to everyone. All the residents of the village appreciated the
honest living of (Guru) Nanak and the sharing of his earnings with other
people. Even the Nawab of the town respected him as a holy man.
After demonstrating the principles of truthful living,
he decided to deliver this message to the people of the world. To
achieve his mission, he made plans to go on long tours. (Guru) Nanak
Dev resigned his job even though the Nawab repeatedly requested him to
stay there.
A Sikh earns his living honestly. Dishonest earnings
are unpious, hence are prohibited to a Sikh in the same way as eating of
beef is prohibited to a Hindu and pork to a Muslim.
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